This section is the Classic Kaweah run. The description starts at the
traditional historical Put in at Pumpkin Hollow Bridge even though the put
in at the bridge has been blocked of in the spring of 1994. Put in below
Headwall where the highway comes adjacent to the river. It's best to run
this section with someone familiar with the run as some drops are hard to
scout and the river splits in several places. The route is usually to the
leftmost channel. This section is still runnable below zero on the gauge
(less than 400 cfs) although it becomes quite technical and more rocks are
visible than water.

Flood of Jan 97 Update: Nearly all the willows that blocked the channel
are gone. The river is more readable as you boat it. The river is changed
overall for the better, but rafters may disagree.

All photos taken at 0.5 ft on the Old Dinely Gauge (Approx 600 cfs in this
section)

Mile 0.0 GATEWAY (Class 4+)

Flood of Jan 97 Update:The rapid is basically the same, but a few boulders
have been moved around.

Mile 0.3 Unnamed (Class 3+)

Entrance rapid to the Chute. 200 yards to the Chute. Rapid continues right
into The Chute.

The Chute

Mile 0.5 THE CHUTE (Class 4)

Big 10 foot drop. Scout left at large rock outcropping on left. Run right
center through huge crashing waves. Pool at bottom.

Flood of Jan 97 Update: The main drop has not changes, but the entrance has.
What used to be a left to right tounge between 2 holes is now a river wide hole
30 feet before the main drop. The approach is now more from the right moving left.
The right to left move at the top is despirate at 2.3 ft on the gauge.

Mile 0.6 Headwall (Class 3+)

Boulder strewn , ends at highway retaining wall. Holes center. Enter left, run
left or right at exit. Pool at bottom.

Flood of Jan 97 Update: The upper half has been flattened out but the bottom
half through the big boulders is the same.

Osterizer,
the bottom half

Mile 0.8 OSTERIZER (Class 4+)

1/4 mile pushy complex water, big holes center and right. Enter left or right,
move left half way down to avoid large holes at exit. Scout left. Pool at
bottom. This rapid is big water down the center at 2000cfs!

Flood of Jan 97 Update: The route is still down the left. Holes are
bigger in the center and right. The holes at the exit extend all the way
across the river and a far left exit is preferred. The large Piton Rock
spews water at medium flows and above. Do not hit it at lower flows.

Mile 1.1 Unnamed (Class 3)

Short rapid with 3 medium rocks at top. Pool at bottom. Exit the pool
through the first slot through the willows to the right.

Flood of Jan 97 Update: The small ledge playspot near the bottom
of this rapid is now a large and wide hole. The willows are nearly all
washed out at the entrance to the next rapid.

Willows with
Alta Pk (11,200ft) in the background

Mile 1.3 WILLOWS (Class 4)

Long rapid studded with holes and hydraulics. A fun rapid.

Flood of Jan 97 Update: The entrance is the same. Rocks have been
moved around but it is still basically the same. The left side is easier.
The willows that lined the rapid from top to bottom have been washed away on
the left.

Mile 1.5 Krishna (Class 3)

Short rapid that ends at a 40 ft rock wall on right. Pool at bottom.

Flood of Jan 97 Update: The piton rock at the exit has been replaced
or eroded to where it is larger. Exit right or left of center.

Mile 1.6 Riverway (Class 3+)

Flood of Jan 97 Update: Pretty much the same. The ledge holes at the
bottom seem bigger.

Bumper

Mile 1.9 BUMPER (Class 4)

River drops 20 feet in 100 yards through big boulders and
holes. Scout left. Enter left center, run left to avoid larger hole on the
right.

Flood of Jan 97 Update: The rocks are in the same place but the holes
are much bigger and stickier. There is a seldom run class 5 route down the far
right channel that sports a tricky S turn move near the bottom.

Mile 2.6 Hammer (Class 3)

A right turn entrance down through some willows, then left.

Flood of Jan 97 Update: This rapid is improved. No willows and great
whitewater all the way to Twin Treat. Ay low water be prepared for some rock
dodging. The rocks come at you from out of nowhere.

Mile 2.6 Whiplash New Rapid (Class 2+)

Take the left channel after Bumper. It starts with 300 yards of class 1 in a
new channel created by the flood of '97. Action picks up with the gradient and
you may take a few willows across the face as you approach the top of Powerhouse
at the left channel. It's best to be familiar with where you are going before
taking this alternate route as there is no getting out to scout, and you want to
run the left channel drop at Powerhouse on it's right side. There is no route
back to the main river to run the conventional center channel at Powerhouse.
Whiplash bypasses Twin Treat.

Mile 2.3 Twin Treat (Class 3)

Pick your way down through the willows and make the left turn at the
bottom. Channel splits with a hole on each side. Far left to avoid holes. Far
right for largest hole. Large pool at bottom. A good pool to gather your
composure for the rapid thatís next..

Flood of Jan 97 Update: The holes are on the left side now and have
changed. The river has cut the main channel to the left of the old Twin Treat.
Very little water flows in the old hole locations at low water.

Powerhouse

Mile 2.5 POWERHOUSE (Class 4+)

Hazardous drop. Scout from narrow island between right and center main
channels. Run center channel by entering left or right of midstream boulder
through willows and down the left side of the channel. Fast and shallow. Do
NOT tip over in this rapid! Pin rocks at low water. Difficulty increases with
lower flow. Consider portaging at very low water. 25 cfs is added to the
river from SCE Powerplant No.1 on the left.

Flood of Jan 97 Update: There are still 3 channels. The center
channel is still entered by going right of the black midstream rock (rock
with a orange stripe) and the rapid is easier at the top, but 2 large rocks
block the left side of the exit. The right most of the 2 rocks has been titled
"The Janet Reno Piton Rock". Rafts routinely pin on these rocks at 1800
cfs and lower. Stay right at the exit. The far left channel is also runnable
down it's right side by an approach through the willows. At low water
Powerhouse is still a boat bashing descent. You're going to be hurting if
you tip over. Scouting is now easier via beaching your boat on the island
at the top and right of the center channel.

HAZARDOUS CONDITION ALERT! John Stockdell got pinned in Powerhouse 5-28-00 (gauge 1.75ft) on
the Janet Reno Piton Rock at the bottom of the center channel. He was trying to exit the left side at the
bottom of the drop and T-boned the rock and his boat slid sideways and broached between the Janet Reno Rock
and a underwater rock left and upstream of that rock. The bow of his boat was angled to river right with the
cockpit facing upstream. He reported that he had a small airpocket in front of his face as he was bent forward
on the front deck but was able to free himself with not too much difficulty. He believes he washed under his
pinned boat in the exit.. His 2 friends boating with him reported that John was completely underwater and out
of sight during the ordeal. They were unable to free his boat that night but recovered the boat intact the next
morning below Cyanotic. This is scary stuff! Let it be known that the center channel at Powerhouse is now
known to be DANGEROUS and should carry a new level of respect. If you must run this drop please scout it
and get right and exit the far right. Click to see where the pin occurred.
Update: Powerhouse is even worse at 0.1ft on the gauge. Pinning is much more the possibility.

Mile 2.6 Unnamed (Class 3)

200 yard entrance rapid to Cyanotic.

Cyanotic, the
upper half

Mile 2.7 CYANOTIC (Class 4+)

300 yards of real action. Run top anywhere but eddy right or left at large
rocks center and right. Ferry center and exit center or left. Right side ends in
sieve at low flows but OK at high flows. At flows above 3.0 ft this rapid has
serious penalty points for anything other than the perfect line. A very
difficult scout from river left. Portage is impossible in rafts.

Flood of Jan 97 Update: The upper approach to Cyanotic has been
flattened out and some of the bigger rocks are missing. The main drop
midway down is pretty much the same. The left channel lower half of the rapid
is the same but the right channel below the halfway point is now runnable via a
boulder strewn approach or by running the far right channel from the top. The
pin rocks at the right channel exit are gone.

Mile 2.9 Wedding (Class 3)

Fun and bouncy little 3. Pool at bottom, exit through left channel.

Flood of Jan 97 Update: Wedding has been replaced with a new and better
rapid on the far right bank. Take the far right channel just below Cyanotic.
The new rapid features 2 sliding drops in a 30 foot wide bedrock channel. Old
timers tell me this is the original channel before the great flood of 1955.

Mile 3.0 Macs (Class 3)

Rapid heads into rock wall on left and ends in pool with a house in the flood
plane on river right.

Flood of Jan 97 Update: The old rapid into the wall on river left is
gone and the entire river channel is a major boat bashing gravel bar. Take the
new route into Wedding and avoid being caught on the gravel bar.

Mile 3.1 Boink (Class 3)

Rapid turns left at dead tree on right. Bumpy entrance. Pool at bottom, exit
out the left channel, down the Amazon Corridor.

Flood of Jan 97 Update: This rapid is improved. The dead tree is
gone and it has a more concentrated channel with good standing waves at the
exit.

Mile 3.2 Screaming Right Turn (Class 3+)

Set up for hard right move at bottom to avoid the gnarly left side final drop.

Flood of Jan 97 Update: There is no more Amazon Corridor. All the
brush is gone. The left side exit drop is as gnarly as before. Stay right.
There are some new holes just downstream. The far right channel of this
rapid is also runnable at medium to high flows.